Former Minnesota Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty said Tuesday that the timing of the federal investigation into Representative Ilhan Omar's finances and immigration paperwork carries an unmistakable political dimension, even as he stopped short of dismissing the probe outright.
Speaking on CNN's "This Morning," Pawlenty addressed the Oct. 12 search of Omar's Washington, D.C., residence by federal agents, part of an ongoing criminal inquiry into allegations of fraud and false statements in immigration filings. The raid has drawn sharp criticism from Democrats, who note its proximity to the upcoming midterm elections.
"The timing of it does suggest a political layer to it," Pawlenty said. "Of course, because it's political doesn't mean it isn't necessarily meritorious."
The former governor also pointed out that the judge who authorized the search warrant, D.C. District Judge Matthew Sharbaugh, previously clerked for Democratic officials. He emphasized that the public should await the evidence before drawing conclusions.
"I don't know whether there's something real here or not," Pawlenty said. "All of us are just going to have to wait until the actual evidence is produced."
Omar, a frequent target of former President Trump and his allies, has called the raid an act of "political intimidation" in a social media post. The development has intensified scrutiny on the Minnesota Democrat, who has represented her district since 2019 and has been a vocal progressive voice on issues ranging from immigration to foreign policy.
Trump's rhetoric on Muslim candidates under fire
Pawlenty's comments came as the former president faced renewed criticism for his remarks about Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. Trump has repeatedly referred to El-Sayed as "Mohammed," a name the candidate has said is his middle name but which Trump admitted he used without knowing its accuracy.
At a rally in Kansas on Monday, Trump said, "Actually his middle name is Mohamed, if you can believe it. It's true. The one good thing, if you call somebody from that part of the world Mohamed, you're about 65 percent sure to get it right."
El-Sayed, who is Muslim, has accused Trump of using his faith as a political weapon. "He knows my middle name is Abdul. He says it everyday," El-Sayed wrote on social media, referring to Trump's earlier Truth Social post. "But he's not just attacking me. He's attacking all of us. He thinks so low of us."
Pawlenty, who has been critical of Trump in the past, expressed a desire for the former president to focus on more pressing issues, such as rising energy costs and ongoing military operations against Iran. "I wish he would focus more on the main issue at the moment, which is what are we going to do about these rising costs in our economy?" the former governor said.
The intersection of the Omar probe and Trump's rhetoric highlights the charged political atmosphere ahead of the elections. For more on Minnesota's political landscape, see the recent clash between Klobuchar and Demuth in the inaugural Minnesota governor debate. Additionally, concerns about politically motivated investigations have been raised by lawmakers, as seen in Slotkin's deterrence talk raising alarms over political prosecutions. The Omar case also fits a broader pattern of federal probes drawing partisan reactions, similar to the congressional probes into Trump aides' corruption and conflicts.
